Manchester City agree €25 million deal for Real Madrid target

Real Madrid have a fantastic track record when it comes to signing some of the best South American talents and developing them into first-team superstars at Santiago Bernabeu. Players like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Fede Valverde have successfully made that journey already. Endrick is set to arrive next summer and there are lofty expectations surrounding his future too.

So, it came as no surprise when Real Madrid were linked with Claudio Echeverri. The Argentine grabbed the headlines with a hattrick against Brazil in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. But Los Blancos were rumoured to hold an interest in him way before that.

It is not hard to see why. The River Plate has been dubbed as the 'Next Lionel Messi'. It remains to be seen if he can match those sky-high expectations.

He certainly won't be doing that at Real Madrid. As reported by The Guardian, Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Echeverri from River Plate for a €25 million transfer fee. He will stay in Argentina next season on loan.

Manchester City agree €25 million deal for Real Madrid target

One would have been hoping for Real Madrid's recent record of developing South American players to hand them an advantage in the race for Echeverri. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

It remains to be seen how Echeverri's development goes at Manchester City. As for Real Madrid, they must look for their next transfer target.

When it comes to South American wonderkids, Estevao Willian certainly looks like the next big thing. The Palmeiras youngster has only made one appearance at the senior level but he was immensely impressive at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. And it is believed that it would take a €60 million transfer package to sign him from the Brazilian club, the same as Endrick.